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The One that Got Away

One of my favouritist photos of all time is one of my beautiful daughter flicking through books on a sale table outside the San Francisco library. It was one of those days, it was crisp clear skies, we were rugged up and we saw the library by chance, it was unplanned and a book sale! Afterwards we ate organic strawberries from a paper bag. I can still smell them. The books and the strawberries.

Today was the Lifeline Big Book Fair and one of those days that I look forward to all year. Sometimes I will travel hours to check out a book fair. Apart from the hunt for bargain books, I love the rows, the signs, the scouts cooking sausage sandwiches and again the smell.

I have increasingly budgeted myself on book buying, mainly for precious space on the bookshelf. This time being half-priced Sunday I was happy with the catch but the one that got away is playing on my mind.

Then I remembered I had brought my camera as I wanted another shot like the one in San Francisco and had already taken some random photos. I realised I could take a snapshot, like a prized marlin, kiss it and toss it back. It didn’t have to be stuffed and mounted. Maybe it will find a better home, a large open bookshelf one where it can stand face forward with air around it, maybe even on a stand.

Maybe I will be fishing in a book fair in a far away place and it will be the right time. I know there are plenty more fish in the sea, but I am wondering where it is now, it was late when I left it. Packed away in a box for the next fair? Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to throw it back. If you do stumble across it any stage maybe you could let me know. I didn’t exactly tag it before release but this is what it looks like. By the way I don’t collect shells, it’s just a beautiful book. My prize book that I came away with today, a small 3 x 5″ book on the Art or Oceania Masks of Papua New Guinea – how much? 50 cents.